PRE-GAME REPORT: WOLF PACK BATTLE PENGUINS
By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack
WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Hartford Wolf Pack continue their four-game road trip this afternoon with a stop in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take on the Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The club will look to make it a perfect three-for-three on the road over the last four days.
The puck drop is set for 3:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV and Mixlr.
Tale of The Tape:
This is the third of six meetings between the Wolf Pack and Penguins and the first of two this month. The sides will meet again, back in Wilkes-Barre, on January 24th. The final two meetings of the season series will take place in Hartford, with the Penguins marching into town on February 2nd and April 19th.
Each side has claimed victory once in the first two meetings, with the home team coming out on top both times. The Wolf Pack opened the series with a dominating 5-0 performance on October 20th, but the Penguins returned the favor eight days later.
On October 28th, the Pens jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 13:41 into the hockey game. They would cruise to a 4-2 victory from that point on.
Valtteri Puustinen opened the scoring 3:24 in, giving the Penguins a lead they never lost. Joona Koppanen popped home a shorthanded goal at 9:04, then Jonathan Gruden buried the game-winning goal at 11:11. Rem Pitlick’s insurance marker at 13:41 would cap the scoring for the home side.
Turner Elson got the Wolf Pack on the board 16:45 into the second period, while Jonny Brodzinski lit the lamp on the powerplay just 39 seconds into the finale frame. It would not be enough on that night, however.
The loss snapped an eight-game point streak (6-0-1-1) for the Wolf Pack against the Penguins.
Wolf Pack Outlook:
The Wolf Pack impressively won their third consecutive game on Saturday night, storming back to defeat the Hershey Bears by a score of 5-3 at the Giant Center.
Jake Leschyshyn got the Wolf Pack on the board 11:30 into the game, banging home a rebound on the powerplay for his second goal of the season. However, the Bears would score the game’s next three goals, taking a stranglehold on the contest.
Garrett Roe deflected a shot from Aaron Ness by Louis Domingue 17:58 into the opening frame, tying the contest 1-1. In just 39 seconds early in the second period, the Bears would turn a 1-1 game into a 3-1 advantage.
First, Jimmy Huntington flung a backhander by Domingue 1:37 into the middle stanza on the powerplay, locating a rebound after an outstanding save from the netminder. Then, at 2:16, Henrik Rybinski was sprung in on a breakaway. He lifted a backhander over Domingue for his second goal of the season, giving the Bears control of the contest.
The Pack battled back and got the game to even by the intermission. First, Matthew Robertson fired a perfect shot over the glove of Clay Stevenson to make it a 3-2 game at 12:33 of the period. Then, after a hard-working shift in the offensive zone, Bobby Trivigno fed Connor Mackey, who labeled his second goal of the season over the blocker of Stevenson at 16:57.
Just 23 seconds into the third period, Brett Berard snuck a shot from the right-wing circle by Stevenson for his tenth goal of the season. The marker was Berard’s third in as many games and would stand as the game-winner. Leschyshyn ended the proceedings at 18:17, hitting an empty net while shorthanded for his second goal of the night.
Alex Belzile and Brodzinski, on recall with the parent New York Rangers (NHL), lead the Wolf Pack in goals with eleven each. Belzile leads the team in points with 28 (11 g, 17 a), while Mac Hollowell leads the team in assists with 24.
On Wednesday, the Rangers recalled forward Brennan Othmann. Othmann is fourth on the Wolf Pack, scoring 23 points (9 g, 14 a) in 28 games. He made his NHL debut with the Rangers on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden.
Penguins Outlook:
The Penguins jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the third period last night but were stunned 4-3 in overtime by the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The loss was the Pens’ second in their last three outings and their second straight loss at home.
Matt Filipe and Cooper Marody traded goals in the first period, with Filipe’s tally being the icebreaker at 12:19. Alex Nylander then gave the Penguins the lead 16:57 into the second period, potting his 12th goal of the season from Ty Smith and Vinnie Hinostroza.
Peter Abbandonato, recently acquired from the Chicago Wolves, extended the lead to 3-1 3:50 into the third period. However, the insurance marker would not be enough as the Phantoms stormed back to force overtime.
Samu Tuomaala’s ninth goal of the season at 8:32 made it a 3-2 game and gave the visitors all kinds of momentum. They parlayed that into an equalizing goal just over a minute later at 9:44 when Ronnie Attard scored his sixth goal of the season.
1:30 into overtime, Tuomaala fired home the dagger to complete the comeback for the Phantoms.
Nylander leads the Penguins in goals with 12 on the season, while Pitlick is the club’s leading point scorer with 24 (8 g, 16 a). Pitlick was traded by the parent Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) to the Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon for a conditional draft pick. Smith, meanwhile, leads the club in assists with 19.
Game Information:
Play-by-play voice of the Wolf Pack, Alex Thomas, will have ‘Wolf Pack Pregame’ starting live at 2:50 p.m. on both AHLTV and Mixlr.
The Wolf Pack conclude their four-game road trip on Friday night when they visit the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the final time this season. The puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and coverage is available on AHLTV & Mixlr starting at 6:50 p.m.
The Pack is back at the XL Center on Saturday, January 13th, when they host the Providence Bruins. The puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.; tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK:
The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
